Service-oriented architecture system and methods supporting dynamic service provider versioning

Abstract

Versioning of the business operation methods implemented by service providers within a distributed computer system implementing a service oriented-architecture is performed by maintaining, with respect to a collection of deployed service providers, a versioning database storing data representing the sets of version identifiers defined for the individual business operation methods of the service requester interfaces and service providers. The data further includes mapping data defining mapping compatible correspondences between select business operation method identifiers of the service requester interfaces and service providers. A request identifying a service requester interface produces a result identification of service providers compatible with the business operation method requirements of the service requester interface based on a determination of a mapping compatible correspondence between business operation method identifiers of the service requester interface and each resultant identified service provider.

1 . A computer implemented method of dynamically managing version compatibility among service requesters and service providers within a service-oriented architecture as implemented by a distributed computer system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) recording, in a database by a service manager, correspondence data relating fixed service request interface identifiers with business operation service interface identifiers;   b) processing, by said service manager, a request to associate a predetermined service requester, having a predetermined fixed service request interface identifier, with a predetermined service provider, having a predetermined business operation service interface identifier, wherein said step of processing includes
 i) obtaining said correspondence data for said predetermined fixed service request interface identifier and said predetermined business operation service interface identifier; 
 ii) determining from said correspondence data whether said predetermined service requester and said predetermined service provider are compatible; and 
 iii) providing said predetermined service requester with predetermined configuration data where said predetermined service requester and said predetermined service provider are compatible; and 
   c) dynamically adapting, by said predetermined service requester, a fixed service request interface of said predetermined service requester to correspond with a business service interface of said predetermined service provider.   
   
   
       2 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1  wherein said step of dynamically adapting includes installing said predetermined configuration data to establish an operative mapping of requests and responses exchanged between said fixed service request interface of said predetermined service requester and said business service interface of said predetermined service provider. 
   
   
       3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 2  wherein said predetermined configuration data is determined by relation of said predetermined fixed service request interface identifier and said predetermined business operation service interface identifier, where said service provider version identifier represents a predetermined encoding of business operation identifiers established in correspondence with a plurality of business operation services implemented said predetermined service provider, said predetermined configuration data being determined by relating said predetermined encoding of business operation identifiers and said predetermined business operation service interface identifier. 
   
   
       4 . The computer implemented method of  claim 3  wherein said predetermined configuration data defines the associations and conversion requirements of service requests and responses as transferred between said fixed service request interface of said predetermined service requester and said business service interface of said predetermined service provider. 
   
   
       5 . A computer implemented method of dynamically managing version compatibility among service requesters and service providers within a service-oriented architecture as implemented by a distributed computer system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) monitoring, by a service manager, the status of a plurality of service providers deployed for execution within a distributed computer system, to detect a change in a business services interface respectively implemented by said plurality of service providers;   b) first determining, by said service manager in response to a detected change in said business services interface for a predetermined service provider, an encoded service identifier corresponding to said business services interface as changed;   c) second determining, by said service manager, mapping and transformation meta-data from said encoded service identifier and an identifier of a service request interface implemented by a predetermined service requester;   d) providing, by said service manager, said mapping and transformation meta-data to said predetermined service requester; and   e) dynamically incorporating, by said predetermined service requester, said mapping and transformation meta-data to operatively convert service requests and responses as transferred between said service request interface of said predetermined service requester and said business services interface of said predetermined service provider.   
   
   
       16 . The computer implemented method of  claim 5  further comprising the step of analyzing, by said service manager, associations between a plurality of encoded service identifiers and identifiers of service request interfaces, said step of analyzing determining compatible associations and storing, in a database for each compatible association, corresponding mapping and transformation meta-data. 
   
   
       17 . A computer implemented method of dynamically managing version compatibility among service requesters and service providers within a service-oriented architecture as implemented by a distributed computer system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) storing, in a database accessible by a service invocation management computer system, for each of a plurality of service providers, a respective first set of first business operation identifiers, wherein each said first business operation identifier is defined with respect to a version of a business operation implementation of said plurality of service providers;   b) receiving a second set of second business operation identifiers, wherein each said second business operation identifier defines a business operation request implemented by a service requester, and wherein each said second business operation identifier has a potentially defined correspondence with said first business operation identifiers;   c) first determining a compatible service provider from said plurality of service providers, wherein said second business operation identifiers of said second set have respective defined correspondence with said first business operation identifiers of said compatible service provider; and   d) second determining, for each of said second business operation identifiers, mappings between said business operation requests identified by said second set and a subset of said business operation implementations of said compatible service provider; and   e) returning said mappings and an identification of said compatible service provider in response to said step of receiving.   
   
   
       8 . The computer implemented method of claim  7  wherein said first and second business operation identifiers each include a business operation identifier and a version identifier and wherein, within the scope of said distributed computer system, said business operation identifiers uniquely identify all versions of a respective business operation and wherein, within the scope of corresponding said business operation identifier, said version identifiers uniquely identify a specific implementation version of said respective business operation. 
   
   
       9 . The computer implemented method of  claim 8  wherein said database further stores signature information with respect to said first and second business operation identifiers and wherein said step of second determining determines said mappings based on said signature information. 
   
   
       10 . The computer implemented method of  claim 9  wherein said step of returning returns, as part of said identification, a location identifier of said compatible service provider. 
   
   
       11 . The computer implemented method of  claim 10  further comprising the step of communicating directly, by said service requester, with said compatible service provider based on said mappings and said location identifier. 
   
   
       12 . A computer implemented method of dynamically managing version compatibility among service requesters and service providers within a service-oriented architecture as implemented by a distributed computer system, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) monitoring, by a service manager, the status of a first plurality of service providers and a second plurality of service requesters, wherein said service providers implement respective first sets of first business operation methods and wherein said service requesters implement second sets of second business operation requests;   b) identifying, by said service manager in response to a version change in said first set of business operation methods of a first service provider, a second service requester defined to directly communicate with said first service provider;   c) determining, by said service manager, mapping data defining conversion between said second set of business requests of said second service requester to said first set of business operation methods of said first service provider; and   d) providing, to said second service requester, said mapping data, wherein said second service requester incorporates said mapping data to enable said second service requester to directly communicate with said first service provider in conformance with said version change.   
   
   
       13 . The computer implemented method of  claim 12  further comprising the step of evaluating respective signatures of said second set of business requests of said second service requester and of said first set of business operation methods of said first service provider to establish said mapping data. 
   
   
       14 . The computer implemented method of  claim 13  wherein said service manager includes a meta-data database and wherein said step of evaluating is performed in response to said step of identifying, and wherein said step of evaluating provides for the storage of said mapping data in said meta-data database. 
   
   
       15 . The computer implemented method of  claim 14  wherein said business operation methods and said business operation requests have respectively associated business operation identifiers, wherein, within the scope of said distributed computer system, said business operation identifiers uniquely identify all versions of respective business operation methods and wherein said step of evaluating associates said business operation methods and said business operation requests of said first and second sets based on said business operation identifiers. 
   
   
       16 . The computer implemented method of  claim 15  wherein said business operation identifiers include version identifiers, wherein, within the scope of a corresponding said business operation identifier, said version identifiers uniquely identify specific versions of said respective business operation methods, and wherein said step of evaluating determines said mapping data based on differences between said version identifiers associated with said first and second sets. 
   
   
       17 . A computer implemented method of managing the run-time use of service providers subject to versioning of the business operation methods provided, said method comprising:
 a) maintaining, with respect to a collection of service providers deployed as components of a distributed computer system implementing a service-oriented architecture, a versioning database storing data representing a first plurality of service requester interfaces and a second plurality of service providers, wherein said data representing each said service requester interface includes a first set of business operation method version identifiers, wherein said data representing each said service provider includes a second set of business operation method version identifiers, and wherein said data includes mapping data defining mapping compatible correspondences between select business operation method identifiers of said first and second sets;   b) resolving, in response to a request identifying a predetermined service requester interface, a result set of service providers corresponding to said second sets of business operation method version identifiers that respectively include said first set of business operation method version identifiers corresponding to said predetermined service requester interface, wherein inclusion is defined as a mapping compatible correspondence between business operation method identifiers of said first and second sets; and   c) returning, in response to said request, result data including identification data for each service provider of said result set and mapping data, corresponding to said first set of business operation method version identifiers of said predetermined service requester interface for each service provider of said result set.   
   
   
       18 . The computer implemented method of  claim 17  wherein said step of maintaining is performed dynamically to reflect run-time changes in said collection of service providers, wherein said step of resolving is performed on-demand to enable adaptation of a predetermined service requester, including said predetermined service requester interface, to run-time changes in said collection. 
   
   
       19 . The computer implemented method of  claim 18  wherein the mapping compatible correspondences of said mapping data defines mapping conversions between business operation methods identified within said data as non-breaking. 
   
   
       20 . The computer implemented method of  claim 19  wherein said business operation method version identifiers encode a relative breaking status.